Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater axiom vs polk vs athena vs other?

Hi gang, I'm currently a proud owner of the old Axiom line-up (Axiom 1.5 bookshelf). Got four of them I and just sold 2.

I have a yamaha rx-650 7.1 receiver. At the moment, I dont expect to use the full 7.1 setup. I think I will stick with 5.1 and buy another pair next year.

right now I have the axiom (the cheap one) center, + 4x AX1.5 + 1 PSB 12" subwoofer (which is excellent)

The most logical choice (I believe) would be to replace my front speakers. I've narrowed my choice to a pair of Athenay full tower speakers and a pair of polk audio RTi6 speakers. The Athena speakers had a lot of more base compared to the RTi6 but when I turned on a subwoofer at the store, the RTi6 really shined. The Athena sounds was vague and not really exciting. The Athena only shined when the sub was off (but I already have a sub at home). Both were priced 499$ (CDN).

Knowing that I wanted to invest between 500-650, I noticed that the M22ti could also be a good candidate and had positive reviews.

Did someone had the chance to compare the two speakers?

I love the extra punch of full tower speakers but since I have a good subwoofer I don't have any problems going with the bookshelf set. I'm open at any suggestions, it's just that the electronic shops nearby doesnt have a vast choice of speakers to listen too.

I was forgetting that I also listened to Paradigm monitor 7 series, it seemed excellent but the tech guy at the store only had an Enya audio cd, I dont really know if the speaker can reproduce drum correctly! :-)

Here is a picture of my current setup..
http://www.spidaware.com/condo/salon4.jpg
you can see that I already have a nice spot for bookshelf speakers, but I could also place towers beside my 42" TV.

My system is used 50% for HT and 50% for music.
please guide me to the light and say the truth!

PS: english is my second language, please don't be frustrated for any errors I may write.

I own Polk RTi8s and Axiom M22s. I have not listened to the RTi6's. The RTi8 is a better speaker than the M22. It is also a tower speaker and a little more than twice the price if you pay retail ($840). However, at the Polk website some of the reviewers of the speakers talk about getting them for under $400 a pair on clearance. The bottom line is that Polk and Axiom both make great speakers and give you about as much as you can get for your money today. If I were you and I could find some RTi8s on clearance somewhere I would do it - unless space is an issue and you really want bookshelf speakers. RTi6s and M22s are both great options.
P.S. What is your first language? You do fine in English.

I've also heard the RTi8 yesterday, they were amazing but they are 999$cdn. For that price I think I would have choosed the Paradigm monitor 7 series. It's really hard for me to get a good opinion. The paradigm was at another store. I have 2 electronics store, one with Bose/polk/athena/Jbl and the other store with Mirage/Quest/Paradigm/Yamaha/Mission.

PS: french!

I keep hearing about these Athena speakers and for the most part it's all good. I have never really spent any time with them. Can some one give me a quick thought on them? Do they sound like another brand? Are they mid heavy?

Haven't heard them but I've been meaning to check out their outdoor speakers.

Not sure if any of this is news to you but BestBuy is carrying them. Athena is another Canadian speaker company; they're owned by Audio Products Intl, which also owns Energy.

I had a listen to the Polk Lsi 25's($2500 US) the other day.I personally didn't care that much for them.The sound they had were as if there was a veil over them.The highs seemed to be to soft for my likeing.The mid range to me also seemed to be soft.The bass was pretty go though as it should be with built in subs.The Polks made it seem as if you were way to far back from the music,with the M80's it seems to me like you are sitting more up front.The mids on the 80's are definitly more pronounced and the bass seems almost as good without the use of built in subs.The highs are,well,alot more pronouned compared to the Polks,which I like.Over all I prefer the Axiom sound.I will say this both speakers Axiom and Polk put out one heck of a soundstage.This is just my OPINION.

I also had a listen to some Martin Logans and all I can say is O'man those babies sound sweeeeeeeeeet.They were also$4900.00 US,but damn they sure are nice.

I think I will buy the m22ti, but what I really wanted to know is : are they the best value for the price or there are other speakers with better sound in that price range 500-650$ cdn.

:-)

I have never heard the 22's but based on what I have compared to my 80's Axiom gives you a far better speaker at a certain price point than most.

I just ordered the M22ti

You will LOVE the 22s. Promise!!